Meet Grace Phiri

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grace Phiri a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Grace, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is definitely something we can not ignore. The excessive use of the internet has contributed a whole lot to this problem sadly, but in life we cannot allow ourselves to drown in a glamorized and probably curated lifestyle. Being content and in touch with my own life has helped a whole lot in overcoming imposter syndrome, believing that God created me in his image and I am loved by him keeps me happy and content because even though I look at others and want what they have, or even feel less of myself I lean to God and what he say about me and I make the most of my own life in my capacity. Protect your peace, choose who you hang around even family! Be cautious and careful with the company you keep because they can break you or make you. Use your time jealously, live like you do not know if you will alive tomorrow ( please do not be scared lol) this means make the most of your life today ! Enjoy yourself! Love on yourself! Spend your time doing things that make you happy and also do not look at what others have, be patient your time is coming, rest please. Look even if you had the life of whoever you admire will you truly live it like they do? You will never know! And so focus on your life, make the most it always.
Be selective of what your eyes are seeing, your social media do not follow your triggers please become so aware that you delete, block, mute and unfollow anyone or any pages or sites triggering you. Instead find things you resonate with and fix your eyes there. What you listen to as well, be mindful of the music you listen to protect your mind from profanity, try your best to listen to happy and good music or podcasts.
Also do not let anyone mislead you, yes you can learn how to do make up and dress up online but do not leave yourself while at it. Learn and practice with a touch of you. Personalize your interests and make them about you.
These are some few things that have really helped me overcome imposter syndrome
I really treat and think of my myself as a BIG DEAL, not seeking validation from anybody because my God has validated me!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a civil engineer working in the mining industry in Zambia and I create videos on YouTube and TikTok. Clearly a jack of all trades because from Monday to Friday I am planning and trying to make sure the projects are ready at the same time I pull out my camera and record videos of my life. I enjoy creating content so much, it has helped me discover myself and it just gives me so much confidence in myself. Over the years I struggled with expressing myself and also I felt like I did not match the standards of society so I stuck to keeping to myself. But ever since I gathered the confidence to pick up the camera and speak the game just changed completely. This confidence I speak of has impacted my career as well, now I am less likely to speak bad about myself because I know that I can make it happen! In my own little way I know that there is nothing I cannot do if I try my best to do it. Imagine someone who thought so less of themselves as in from my looks to even more picking up the camera, recording and later on posting?? God knew all I needed was to believe in myself. I began to blog seriously in 2021, I would curate outfits ( streetwear ) take some pictures and post them on my Instagram and people loved them. Sneakers have my heart and so i made my interest in them become a hobby, I would discuss them on my stories and also on my feeds. That is how I grew my community through just being myself, talking about things I like and not feeling like I have something to prove because it was all just fun! So dear you have fun with it, your career, your hobbies, your life, all of it have fun with it. Express yourself whether it is online like me or in real life let it be known that you love this and that.
I have practiced engineering for a year now and it is not my end point, this year I want to explore more, I want to pursue another career, something that resonates with me just a bit more. I love being a woman in engineering, the experience has been a lot, some days I am crying and some days I am up and showing up for myself. It has given me the push I needed to pursue more for myself, I cannot end here ! There is more for me.
This is all there is about me, a simple girl navigating through life with so much energy and happiness in what is in store for me. The world is ours and we must go out and get it!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities I can point out are Courage, Humility and Kindness. These three have kept me, made me and helped me all my life. I am humble enough to stop and say guys I cannot when I do not know. putting my pride aside when it comes to my life has paid off because I do not know everything. Without people around me where would I be? No man is an island, now kindness comes in. Be kind your neighbor is definitely holding the keys to that door you need to open, treat everyone like you want to be treated, remember we are all trying this life thing for the first time. Give people grace always, one thing we do not know is what everyone is going through. Life is hard we continuously have to show up as adults no matter what it is hard! So be kind be gracious to yourself and to others. Courage! courage! Be courageous always. This has helped me even write to you right now, COURAGE. On days where I feel like I cannot do it, it is the courage that makes me get up and show up regardless. I pray to God to give me the courage and confidence I need to endure this life. Remember we reap what we sow and so today if you are courageous and go for everything you want what you will reap is exactly what you want. The only thing between you and what you want is the courage to go for it. Be courageous do not let yourself and others get in your way.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
One of the obstacles I am facing right now is Time Management. My job requires my time, my presence, my body and my brain to be all in. But so does my faith, my relationships with people ( family, friends etc), my content creation and hobbies these things require my time. And so before I figured out a way to balance all these things I was so burnt out. One thing about us human beings is we cannot be everywhere at the same time and also we cannot be everything for everyone. Not mixing priorities has helped me strike a proper balance. I found what is more important than the other and gave it my attention respectfully. Before anything I need my faith, I need to ensure I am not lacking in that area that way I get a clearer understanding of what is important in my life . I make sure I define consistency to fit my life. I know my work schedule and I understand it so that way I know which time I can give my relationships and what time I can give my hobbies and my content creation. It is balanced out because I know what is important and I treat it with the equal respect.
Of course on someday I am down bad, but again COURAGE. I do not stay down long, I get back up and show up for me. I treat myself with kindness because I am also new to this life thing honestly. So remember to define yourself, define your priorities and act accordingly that way you will find that nothing makes you scared because you know where your time and attention is going

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Confidence
Representation from the Eyes of the Representer

Even as there is a growing recognition for the need for representation, there are still

Leadership Development
Developing Discipline: Stories & Insights

Many of the most impressive entrepreneurs and creatives in our community exhibit a high degree

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,